In a Second
by smallvillegirl92
Summary: She should have listened to him when he said that it was too dangerous, but she didn't, and now her life might be changed forever. Can Clark get over the fact that he didn't stop this from happening to her? Chlark! ON HIATUS, INDEFINATELY. Sorry.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: **

**I do not own Smallville or any of it's characters, content, storylines, people, or places. (Basically anything involved lol)**

**THIS DISCLAIMER GOES FOR ALL CHAPTERS OF THIS STORY.**

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_Hey! Yup, I'm finally putting up another story! YAY! I know that this is short, but it's just the prologue. I promise that the first chapter will be longer! I hope that everyone likes my story. Please R&R!_

_Enjoy!_

_**In a Second**_

_Prologue: _

Chloe looked up at Clark and rolled her eyes. "Clark, we can't just let him get away, we have to find him."

"Chloe, Ronreaco Salvatore is the most wanted drug lord in Kansas. We can't just go after him."

"But we always go after the criminals, it's what we do."

"That's what we do when I have my powers, but Chloe, those drugs have green kryptonite in them. If we go anywhere near their drug lab, then we could both die. We'll have to let the police handle this one, it's too dangerous."

Chloe sighed. "Fine."

Clark looked down at his watch. "It's getting late; I better get home before my mom starts to worry."

"Okay, night Clark."

"Goodnight, Chloe," Clark said as he began to exit the office.

Chloe stood up to go to the copy room, but stopped when she heard a noise come from her computer. She sat back down and opened a new message from one of her sources. A smile crossed her face; it was the location for Ronreaco's drug lab. Chloe's reporter instinct was telling her to go, but her conscience was reminding her of what Clark had said not more that two minutes earlier. She drummed her fingers on her desk, before standing up, grabbing her coat, and running out the door.

* * *

Chloe quietly opened her car door and got out. She was at an old warehouse that her source had informed her was Ronreaco Salvatore's drug lab. That's not the only information that her source had given her, the e-mail also said that Ronreaco had just recently been guilty of murder. 

She crept up to the building and peaked through the window. When she didn't see any sign of the drugs, just a couple of men, she decided that it would be okay for Clark to come. She pulled her cell phone out of her coat pocket and pressed the speed dial for her best friend. "Clark, I know you said that we shouldn't get involved in the Salvatore case, but I found the placed where they are meeting. It doesn't seem like this is the drug lab, just some kind of meeting place." Chloe stopped and listened to Clark lecture her for a minute, before asking where she was.

"I'm at the old Luthorcorp. warehouse on twenty-fourth aven-" Chloe was cut off by a loud noise and a searing pain that suddenly shot through her body. The last thing she remembered was Clark's concerned voice yelling out her name and the phone falling from her hand, before everything went black.

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_Please Review! Tell me if you are interested in me going on! PLEASE!_

_Smallvillegirl92_


	2. Feelings

_Hey! Here is chapter one! I hope that everyone likes it! Please R&R!_

_Enjoy!_

_**Chapter One: Feelings**_

Clark quickly paced back and forth in the small waiting room. He could feel his heart pounding. _What if Chloe doesn't make it? What if she di- _He wouldn't allow himself to finish that thought. He couldn't imagine living a day without Chloe. As he continued to ponder on what life would be like without his best friend, he grew more frightened and was determined not to let anything happen to her. A feeling suddenly hit him and he wondered if it was what he thought it was. Could it be? No, he couldn't actually be fa-

His thoughts were abruptly disturbed when someone called his name. He spun around to see Lois and Martha coming over to him. When they saw the front of him, they both gasped. Clark looked down and suddenly noticed that there was blood all over his shirt and some down the front of his pants. Despite that, both women hugged him.

"H-how's Chloe?" Lois finally stuttered.

"I don't know….I haven't heard anything yet."

"Oh," Lois sighed and sat down on the edge of a nearby couch.

"How are you feeling, Clark?" Martha asked.

"Like I should have prevented this from happening," he replied and turned away from his mom.

Lois looked up at them. "What happened, Clark?"

"Chloe wanted to go after a drug lord, but I told her that it was too dangerous…and that we should let the police handle it….she reluctantly agreed, so I told her that I better be heading home…..I was on my way back to Smallville when she called……she said that she had found the place where the drug lord was meeting with his workers……I was a little upset with her for getting involved when I warned her not to…but I asked where she was so that I could make sure that she didn't get into any trouble….." he sighed and turned back around to face them. "She was in the midst of giving me the address when I heard the gunshot. After that she didn't reply…..so I went to the address she gave me….." his jaw twitched, as he tried to keep his voice from breaking. "When I got there, I found her….f-face down in the mud with blood covering her back." He stopped there, guessing that was all Lois needed to know.

Martha put a comforting hand on Clark's shoulder and said, "This is not your fault, Clark, there was no way that you could have stopped this from happening."

"I could've just gone with her when she asked me to, instead of being a chicken."

"You were being cautious, Clark, don't be angry at yourself for that."

"Your mom is right, Smallville, this isn't your fault. Now quit beating yourself up about it, Chloe wouldn't want you to."

Clark finally nodded and slowly sat down.

* * *

Lana opened the door leading to her and Chloe's dorm. She stepped into the room and frowned when she saw it empty. Chloe should've been home from work by then. She flicked the light switch, before reaching into her purse to grab her phone. She dialed Chloe's cell phone number, but there was no answer. _Hmm…that's weird. Chloe always answers her cell phone. _

Lana tried not to get too worried as she searched the dorm for a note or something. She suddenly laughed at herself; Chloe was probably just pulling and overnighter and turned off her cell phone so she wouldn't be disturbed. Chloe used to do that when she was the editor of the Smallville High newspaper, 'The Torch'. Lana again picked up her cell phone and dialed Chloe's extension at The Daily Planet. But that phone was left unanswered too.

Just as she had hung up, her cell phone rang. She quickly answered, "Hello." Lana heard the familiar, male voice of Clark Kent. "Hey, Clark, I haven't heard from you in a while, what's up?" Lana's expression turned grim. "Oh my gosh, Clark, is she going to be okay?" She listened to Clark's answer before saying, "I'll be right there," and walking back out the door.

* * *

"Ronreaco, I thought we decided that you wouldn't do anything without talking it over with me first," the man said into the phone. "What do you mean you **had **to move?" He paused, waiting for a response. "One of your men did **what**?!?!" He yelled. "What did the person look like?" As he listened to the description, he had a pretty good idea who it was. "I want you to fire the person who shot her." His face almost turned red. "I don't care! No one was supposed to get hurt!" He quickly hung up. A sigh escaped his lips as he ran a hand over his bald head. _This is just great. _

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_Please Review! Sorry that this chapter was short, I'll try to make the next one longer(and better), I promise! _

_I'm going to Tennessee this weekend, so I'll try to get another chapter up before I go. But if I don't get one up, then you guys will have to wait until like next Tuesday or Wednesday to read another chapter. Sorry! _:

_Meanwhile, REVIEW!!! PLEASE!!!_

_LanaLang79_


	3. Memories

_Hey! I know, I know, this chapter is short too, but I really liked where I ended it. So please don't be too upset for its lack of length. _

_Anwyay, I decided that I really wanted to put up this chapter before I left for my trip, so I hope that everyone enjoys it. Please R&R!_

_Enjoy!_

_**Chapter 2: Memories**_

Clark slowed to a stop in front of the yellow farmhouse. It took a while, but Martha had finally convinced her son to go home and get cleaned up. He jogged up the porch steps and into the house. He took a super-speed shower before going into his room. He quickly changed and was about to exit the room when he glanced at the collage of pictures on his wall. There were some of his parents, some of Pete, some of Lana, even some of Lex, and then there were some of Chloe. A small smile crossed his face as a couple of the pictures brought back memories. There was one of Chloe and Clark dancing at the spring formal, there were a whole bunch of her at the torch, which wasn't a surprise, and then there was the most recent one that he had taken of her. She was in the loft, by the window, and the sun was just rising in the background. He remembered that she had been exhausted that night, they had stayed up working on a story, but her fatigue definitely didn't show in the picture. As he stared at it, that night came alive in his mind.

_Chloe sighed. "Come on, Clark, you know that I like chasing good stories more than anyone, but we've been up here all night and haven't gotten any leads. I think that we should just-"_

"_Chloe," Clark, who was looking out the window, interrupted._

"_What?"_

_He turned around, a smile forming on his face. "Come here." He reached out and took her hand as she stood up. _

_Chloe gasped when she looked outside. The skyline was painted a mixture of beautiful colors. Chloe stared at it for a minute before looking up at Clark, a smile spread across her face. "Thanks."_

_Clark's eyebrows knit together. "For what?"_

"_Sharing this with me."_

_Clark nodded. "Anytime," he replied, before wrapping his arms around her small figure._

Ever since that moment, he had felt a little different about his best friend, but he wasn't sure if that feeling was what he thought it was. He had taken the picture right after they hugged. Clark had wanted to take a picture of the moment that he might have actually fallen for Chloe Sullivan. Clark jerked his thoughts back to the present and let out a deep sigh. "You can't leave me, Chloe, you just can't." A tear escaped his eye before he supersped out of the room.

* * *

Just as Clark was about to walk through the front entrance of the hospital, he heard someone call his name. He turned around to see Lana approaching him. 

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hi, Lana."

"How's Chloe?" Lana asked as they began to walk through the hospital.

"We don't know yet……..I-I'm really worried, Lana," Clark finally admitted. "What if she doesn't make it?"

Lana put a hand on Clark's arm and smiled reassuringly. "She'll be fine, Clark, Chloe's never been one to give up a fight and I don't think she'll start now."

Clark nodded, but didn't say anything. They finished the walk to the waiting room in silence. When they arrived, Lana greeted Lois with a hug before sitting down next to her.

Clark sat down next to his mom and she looked over at him. "Do you feel any better?"

Clark shrugged. "A little."

Martha paused before saying, "I tried to get a hold of Gabe…….."

"But?" Clark prodded.

"It seems like he's just unreachable. I left messages with a few people, so I hope somebody tells him."

"How could someone just leave their daughter behind? I mean Chloe already pretty much lost her mother and then Gabe just seemed to disappear on her. I never really thought about how tough her life must be."

Martha nodded. "It would have to be hard."

* * *

To the four people, the two hours they had spent at the hospital seemed more like ten. Clark was again pacing the length of the room, Lois was laying on the couch in a daze, and Martha and Lana were quietly making small talk. 

Just then a tall man in a white coat, with dark hair, entered the room carrying a clipboard. He looked up and said, "I'm here to speak to the family and friends of Chloe Sullivan."

The four of them rushed over to him. "How is she?" Clark, who had reached the doctor first, asked.

The doctor's face was grim. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Their hearts seemed to stop.

"S-she's n-not…" Lois stuttered.

"No, but…..."

"What's wrong with her?" Clark said, nervousness etched in his voice.

"I'm afraid Chloe has been paralyzed."

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_Haha, I left it on a cliffhanger! Please Review! I would be so excited if I came back from my trip and had a lot of reviews! So, PLEASE REVIEW! I'd really appreciate it!_

_Smallvillegirl92_


	4. Paralyzed

_Hey! I know, this one is pretty short too. And I know that I keep saying that the next one will be longer, but I have a good reason for this one being short. When I was writing in my notebook I counted the pages wrong and thought that it was longer than it really was, so I ended it and liked the ending. But then I re-counted the pages and found that I had messed up when I was counting the first time. I know it sounds like an excuse, but oh well, that's how it is. LOL! I really will try to make the next one longer! Please R&R!_

_Enjoy!_

**_Chapter 3: Paralyzed_**

"P-paralyzed?" Lois stuttered as her hand slowly covered her mouth.

The doctor nodded. "I'm afraid so."

Clark didn't know what to say. He couldn't imagine his best friend, Chloe Sullivan, the girl that was always on the move, being confined like that. "How?" Clark managed to get out.

"The only reasonable thing that I could come up with is that the heat of the bullet shocked her nerves, leaving them numb."

"Is it…is it her whole body?" Lois asked quietly, afraid of what the answer might be.

"The nerves branch out in two parts, the bottom half, which goes to your torso and your lower limbs, and the top half, which goes to your chest and your upper limbs. Luckily when the bullet passed through, the heat only hit the bottom half, instead of both."

"So just her torso and down is paralyzed?" Lana finally spoke up.

The doctor nodded. "Yes."

"Is it permanent?" Came the next question, this time from Martha.

The three younger people had been too scared to ask this question, and they were now dreading the answer.

"We don't know, it could be permanent or it could just be temporary, there's no way to tell."

"Is there anything you can try that could fix it?" Lois spoke again, a little louder than the last time.

"In this case, no. We'll take her through some therapies to try and help her get the use of her legs back, but, like I said, there's no guarantee that she will. All I can say is, time will tell."

The four nodded slowly.

"And I'm afraid there's one other thing……the bullet also skimmed her vocal cords. Right now she isn't able to speak, but she should get her voice back in a week or two."

"When can we see her?" Lois inquired.

"We'll let you know when we get her settled in a room. That should be in about an hour. Do you have any other questions?"

They all looked at each other before Martha answered, "No. Thank you, Doctor."

The doctor merely nodded and left the waiting room.

Lois and Lana slowly sat down, still taking in what they had just heard.

Martha looked up at Clark, whose face was unreadable. She gently laid a hand on his arm and he looked down.

"I have to do something, Mom, I have to help her."

"Honey, you heard what the doctor said, there's nothing that can be done except waiting."

"They have to try something……Maybe I could talk to Lex. I know we're not on the best of terms, but I could get him to help."

"You could try, but-" Before she could finish her sentence, Clark was gone.

* * *

As Clark supersped away from the hospital towards the Luthor Mansion, he could feel tears stinging at his eyes. If he would have rushed to Chloe right when she called, instead of lecturing her about going to the warehouse alone, then this would have never happened. He was filled with guilt and anger. He, of course, felt guilty for this whole mess and then he was angry at the person who had shot his best friend. Whoever did this to Chloe was going to pay; he would make sure of that.

Clark slowed to a stop once he was inside the mansion. He walked down the long hallway and pushed open the double doors leading to the library. He wasn't surprised when he saw Lex sitting at his desk. And he still wasn't surprised when Lex closed his laptop before looking up.

"Clark, I wish that I could say I was surprised. You know, I don't think anyone has ever entered my home by knocking on the door. People just come into this house like it's a community center. It gets a little annoying after a while," Lex said sarcastically before standing up.

Clark ignored the comment and went straight to the point. "I need your help."

Lex walked over to his small bar. "What's new?" He asked, giving a small smile. "How can I be of service today?"

"Chloe was shot and she's in the hospital."

Lex, of course, was already pretty sure of that, but he kept a straight face. "Oh, is she going to be okay."

"She is partially paralyzed."

"What happened?"

Clark didn't want to say that Chloe was breaking into an old Luthorcorp. warehouse, so he slowly said, "I…uh…I don't know."

Lex could tell that Clark was being less than honest, but he decided to let it go. "Let me guess, you want me to find someone to try and help her?"

Clark nodded.

Lex paused, as if considering the subject.

"I know that we haven't been on the best of terms lately, so if you won't do it for me, do it for Lana. Chloe is her best friend and this is upsetting her too," Clark prodded.

Lex took a sip of the drink that he had poured. He knew he should do this, not just for Clark or for Lana, but because he knew that this was partially his fault.

He sighed and looked up at Clark. "I'll see what I can do."

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_Please Review! I'll love you forever if you do! LOL!_

_Smallvillegirl92_


	5. Author's Note 2

Hi again,

I'm going to officially put this story on a hiatus. It's just not my top priority right now and I have a bad case of writer's block. But please keep me or my story on your alerts, because it will come off this hiatus, I'm just not sure when. I'd just like to say sorry to all of my reviewers, I promise to take it off of hiatus a.s.a.p. : )

-Smallvillegirl92


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